A controversy has erupted in Tamil Nadu over the security provided to temples after burqa clad persons were found breaching protocol and taking pictures inside Nellaiappar temple in Tirunelveli. They reportedly fled when Hindu activists reached the temple to inquire. HRCE officials have said that it could have been female students visiting the temple along with their Hindu friends on holiday.
The Nellaiappar temple in Tirunelveli is a famous Shaivite temple and the district derives its name from a Thiruvilayadal(literally meaning plays enacted by Bhagwan Shiva to bless his devotees). On the occasion of ThaiPusam special pujas and festivals commenced in the temple in the first week of February. On February 5, the day of Thai Pusam, the temple received thousands of devotees.
Among them some burqa clad people were spotted going beyond the point accessible for non-Hindus and were seen taking pictures of the temple and deities. Hearing about this, Hindu Munnani and other Hindu outfits reached the temple and tried to inquire the burqa clad persons. But reportedly they fled hurriedly.
Tamil media Vikatan spoke to the HRCE officials who were indifferent about the issue and said, “It appears that some college girls came to the town on holiday. The burqa clad girl could have come to the temple along with them. She came only upto the mandapam and didn’t go beyond that”. Hindu outfits have expressed worry at this attitude as burqa has often been used as a disguise for illegal and terror activities.
As the concerned persons were seen taking pictures in front of the garbhagriha and other places Hindu outfits fear that it could be a recce. When they protested against the inaction of HRCE in investigating this incident they were arrested by police. It should be noted that burqa has served as a disguise to hide Muslim men in many cases and helps Muslim women indulge in illegal activities as well.
Recently, Muslim women were caught supplying ganja in Azamgarh prison. Last year, burqa clad women were caught in the act of shoplifting in a Hindu owned shop in Mangaluru. In April 2022, a burqa clad woman hurled a petrol bomb at a CRPF bunker in Kashmir. In November 2022, 2 burqa clad women stole gold ornaments from a jewelry shop in Pune. In November 2022, two burqa clad women desecrated Hanuman murti with a hammer in Hyderabad.
The HRCE officials managing Nellaiappar temple are often in news and for the bad things at that. Recently, Hindu Munnani had alleged that HRCE officials took Rs 25,000 from temple funds to pay for their flight tickets as they traveled between cities to organise Maha Shivaratri events in HRCE controlled temples. Earlier, they tried to shift Hindu girls studying at the school run with the temple’s funds to a Muslim boys school during Covid-19 pandemic. But it was prevented due to Hindu outfits’ timely intervention.
